Pipe line tapping machine



June 24, 1952 V, L, DU BQls 2,601,434

PIPE LINE TPPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 29. 1949 461x 27 26 'gaf L 16mj Hf 20m Mfg/7 L. Uo/'S u INVENTOR. 7 BY @@g A ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 24, 1952 UNITED STATES PAT prrr; I .rNn'rAPPING MACHINE Virgil L. Y11u Bois, Tulsa, Okla.`

Application September 29, 1949, Serial No." 1,118,601;

(Cl. 'T7- 40) 1 Claim.

'Ijheinvention relates to pipe line tapping machines particularly adapted for tapping high pressure lines, and has for its object to provide a device of thiskind wherein. pressure, during tapping operation, from the line will enter the tapping device and act on the upper endofithe drilling mechanism, thereby, substantially equalizing the pressure and rendering the drilling` operation comparatively easy.

A further object is to provide a pipe line tapping machine comprising a vertically elongated casing adapted to be attachedpto the periphery of thepipe line, said casing having a drill; carrying quill therein, gear rotated, and a feeding mechanism cooperating with the outer end of the quill for feeding the quill and drill towards and away from the pipe line during a drilling operation.

A further object is to provide an axially slidably mounted feed nut within the casing and having a connection with the upper end of the quill and to thread the feed screw through said nut.

A further object is to provide by-pass ports Within the casing around the gear drive of the quill and through the feed nut so that pressure can substantially equalize on the upper side of the feed nut so the quill can be easily fed downwardly against the pressure within the pipe line.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth shown in the drawing, described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the drilling machine.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the drilling machine, showing the machine attached to a conventional form of line tapping valve, and showing the drill after the pipe line drilling operation and holding the cut out disc.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I designates a high pressure pipe line, to which line has been attached, by means of bra-zing at 2, a threaded sleeve 3. Threaded into the sleeve 3 is a nipple 4 carried by one side of the gate valve 5. After these parts have been assembled on the pipe line, the drilling machine as shown in Fgure 1 is attached to one side of the valve 5 by the lower'section II of the gear casing, which.`

casing is formed-by the member 9 and the upper member I2; andthe spacer ring I3. All of these parts are c-onnectedtQgether-by means of bolts I 4.

Rotatably mounted ina bearing I5 ofthe casing member IIl isa quill I6 adapted to Inoveupwardly and downwardly. Threadedin the lower end of the quill I6is the shank` I'I- of the drill- I8, and also threaded on the drill I8, at I9 is a tr-epanning tool 2U held in various adjusted positions by a lock nut 2I. Drill I8 is provided with a spring actuated detent 22 adapted to hold the disc 23 after the pipe drilling operation, so it can be easily removed with the machine through the drill opening 24 in the pipe line. Disposed within the gear casing is a Worm gear 25. Gear 25 is rotatably mounted between annular guide flanges 26 carried by gear casing sections I I and I2, and the upper side of the Worm gear is provided with an annular boss '2l engaging within the annular guide member 26 carried by the upper gear casing section I2. Worm gear '25 is manually rotated by a worm 28 meshing therewith and carried by a shaft 29 having a crank 3U thereon. It will be seen that with the inwardly extending key 3| engaging in the longitudinal keyway 32 of the quill I6, the quill can be rotated through the medium of the worm gear 25, and at the same time the quill can be fed upwardly and downwardly.

Extending upwardly from the upper side of the casing section I2 is a tubular casing 33 of greater interior diameter than the outside diameter of the quill I6 and slidably keyed within the upper end of the casing 33 in a keyway 34 is a feed nut 35. Feed nut moves axially but does not rotate, however, it has a swivel connection at 36 to the upper end of the quill I6 so the quill can rotate at various positions. Threaded through the feed nut 35 at 31 is a feed screw 39, and the feed screw is rotatably mounted in a bearing 40 at its upper end beneath a packing gland 4I and terminates above the casing section 33 so a crank 42 may be applied thereto for feeding the quill upwardly or downwardly during a lin-e tapping operation. q

Casing section II is provided with a pressure port 43 and by-pass port 44. The last named port extends through the annular flange 26 so that pressure from the pipe line can pass into the chamber of the gear casing and by-pass the gear casing through the port 45, thence through the chamber 46 of the casing section 33 and through the vent channel 41 in the feed nut 35, thereby allowing the pressure from the pipe line to substantially equalize itself above and below the movable parts, therefore the operation of the device will not be against a pressure, as is now the common difiiculty with devices, After the drilling operation the quill is fed upwardly to the position shown in Figure 1 and then the valve 5 is closed, after which the machine is removed from the valve casing by disconnecting the bolts 6. Y'

From the above it will be seen that a1 pipeline tapping device is provided which is simple in opy and extending through the gear casing in spacedV relation to the walls thereof, a worm gear within the gear' casing and having aV splined connection to the quill, a Worm within the gear casing and meshing with the Worm gear, means controllable from the outside of the gear casing to rotate the worm and the worm gear, a feed screw cooperating with the upper end of the quill within the elongated casing s and forming means whereby said quill may be fed downwardly or upwardly as it is rotated by the worm gear, a feed nut splined within the casing and rotatably connected to the quill, said feed screw being threaded through the feed nut, and bypass ports from theY lower end VofV the casing extending around the worm gear and a further .bypass port bypassing one side of the feed nut, said ports forming means whereby pressure from the pipe being drilled will pass upwardly through the casing to a point abovethe feed nut thereby balancing the pressuren and reducing the amount of power requiredfor rotating the quill.

' VIRGIL L. DU BOIS.

y -REFERENCES CITEDv The lfollowing'referenoesQare 'offirecord in the file ofthis -patent:-- V Y l UNITED STLTES PATENTS Y 2 2 n n Y Date,

' 765,332 France l Mar.,19,v1934 

